Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Michael Hanson is just an average guy. He was getting out of his car to go to the grocery store when he felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. Michael stumbles but doesn’t think anything about the tremor. He is more drawn to the woman in the parking lot. Her name is Cassie McMurphy. Michael feels a strange connection to her. Michael follows Cassie home, where he husband is waiting for her. He is very abusive. Michael rescues Cassie and they run away.

While driving, Michael and Cassie experience another tremor. They think it might be an earthquake but it was too small to be one. Michael is excited as he is going on a cross country journey to visit with his two brothers, Stephen and Mark and their families. It isn’t long after the tremors that cites all over the world start reporting abnormities of the extreme kind. Will Michael, Cassie and his brothers survive or will they perish? To find out you will have to check out the next book, The Edge of Forever: Brink of Extinction.

Think of the worst disaster both natural and man made…now combine them all together and what do you get…The Edge of Forever. The debut and first novel in the Edge of Forever series by Dr. Jeff Chimenti. In the preface, Dr. Chimenti talks about a tiny blip of geological time that we as humans have probably experienced before but thought nothing of it. These same blips are what the dinosaurs experienced. These blips are from earthquakes. This story will have readers traveling all over from Reno, Nevada to Denver, Colorado. The story is too the extreme and can at times seem way out there but at the same time it is interesting as the story is also based on true events. I thought Michael and Cassie worked well together. The next novel sounds like it promises lots more excitement.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Lovejoy has been released from prison again. When he gets out, he meets Laura Moon. Laura is a millionaire. She proposes a joint union with Lovejoy. She offers him a marriage of convenience in exchange for a cut of her riches. Laura tells Lovejoy that her former husband has gone into hiding. She wants to draw him out Lovejoy agrees, though he suspects something is up. Has Lovejoy gotten in way over his head this time?

Faces in the Pool is the latest Lovejoy mystery novel by author, Jonathan Gash. I believe it can be read as a stand alone novel. I thought this book started out good but about midway through the book, I started to lose interest. I did finish the book though. It was a little bit of both the plot as well as the characters. The story jumped around too much for me. Lovejoy seemed very interesting but unfortunately he and I did not make much of a connection. Faces in the Poll is a classic who-dun-it mystery with a few modern twists. Fans of mysteries may enjoy this book.

Viktor and Liesel Landauer’s marriage is not one based on love. Though, at the beginning Viktor and Liesel may have at one point loved each other. As time passed they fell out of any chance of love. Viktor had a very forward way of thinking. He embraced the future. Liesel was slower to accept it. While trying to figure out what type of house they wanted to built, the Landauer’s met architect, Rainer van Abt. He was big on modern architect. He convinced the Landauer’s of letting him build their house for them.

Liesel started to flirt with Rainer and hang out a lot with her very vulgar friend Hana; while Viktor pursued an affair with a woman named Kata. As Viktor and Liesel started to drift apart, things changed with the beginning of World War II. The invading Nazi took possession of the famed “glass house”. The Landauer’s moved away, still believing that one day they would return to their home.

While reading The Glass Room I got lost at times but in a good way. I would forget the book was both parts fiction mixed with non fiction. It told like true non fiction in a poetic way. I found it interesting that Viktor pushed for being modern but when it came to it, he preferred the simple life.

The house that Mr. and Mrs. Landauer’s lived in is a real house. I saw pictures of it. It is amazing to believe that anyone lives in it. It looks move like an office building than a home. It is mainly constructed of just walls and glass. The architect who built the home is known in the book as Rainer van Abt but his real name is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He was very forward in his thinking of modern design. There are several drawings in this book. I couldn’t help but compare Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to another famous modern architect…Frank Lloyd Wright. They both had visions that while, it may not have made sense at first, when you saw the results, and they were talk worthy.

The first half of this book I really enjoyed. The second half was good but it lost some of its slimmer for me. It happened about the time that the Nazi invaded Germany and the Landauer’s moved away. I found the Landauer’s more interesting then the other characters and so when they weren’t in the fore front, I kept wondering what happened to them. Luckily, all the lose ends were answered at the end of the story. I heard that Mr. Mawer’s prior novel The Fall is really good. I plan to check it out.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Griffin Luckadeau is trying the best he can to raise his five year old daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzy”. Though, it isn’t easy as she has the Luckadeau blood running in her veins. As we all know Luckadeau’s can be very stubborn with a capital ‘S”.

Julie Donovan and her daughter, Annie has recently moved to the town of Saint Jo. Julie is the new school teacher. Julie is looking to make a fresh start for her and Annie. Julie may need to re-think her location, when tall, dark and handsome Griffin walks through her door. His daughter Lizzy is in her class.

From the first moment Griffin lays eyes on Julie, he is memorized by her beauty. The funny thing is that he doesn’t have a thing for red heads but yet this is one red head that he wants to get to know better. Though, Griffin can’t help but suspect that Julie has an ulterior motive for showing up in Saint Jo.

Getting Lucky is the last book in the Lucky trilogy. I am sorry to see this come to an end. I have enjoyed getting to know all of the Luckadeau men. They really know how to make a woman’s heart race. Though, it was nice catching up with all of the Luckadeau’s. They all made appearances in this book. Julie and Griffin were both so stubborn and won’t admit their feelings for the longest time that it made you want to give them both a swift kick in the behind. I have to admit that Lizzy, Annie and Chuck stole the show for me. They were so cute with the comments they made. I wanted to give them all a big hug. Carolyn Brown has done a great job with these books. I can’t wait to read her next novel, I Love This Bar. Another book that also features …a cowboy! Yee Haw.

Rich Ronaldi is the ultimate hunk. He is tall, dark sexy and Italian. In addition that he is smart. Rich works as a Professor at the college. You would think he had it made. Well you would be wrong. Rich has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Gina. She tells him that he isn’t relationship material and he needs to start cleaning up after himself. Rich takes Gina’s words to heart. He will do anything to get Gina back even…become Mr. Clean.

Rebecca “Becca” Larsen gets the shock of her life. She comes home to find a strange man in her house. Becca learns that the man is her good friend. Annabelle’s brother, Rich. Right away, Becca despises Rich. Though, her thoughts of him change slightly when she catches him naked.

Rich needs to learn how to cook, clean, and do laundry in a hurry. He convinces Becca to teach him. She agrees but only because she doesn’t really have anything better to do. Will these two end up cooking something special together?

The first time I read anything by Robin Kaye was the book, Romeo, Romeo. I loved that book. I couldn’t stop laughing. Breakfast in Bed was just a good. All of Rich’s mishaps had me smiling. The chemistry between Rich and Becca was sizzling. Becca was the girl next door and Rich was the hot Italian guy, you never thought would be interested in you. Rich’s naïve approach to cooking and cleaning had me laughing with joy. Even when he messed up you couldn’t help but forgive him. Next time you are looking for a good book to read, pick up a copy of Breakfast in Bed. You won’t be sorry.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Delphi Brent is going to spend the summer with The Laughlin’s. They are good, family friends. For some reason though, Delphi and her family have not visited the Laughlin’s for at least nine years. The reason for the sudden decease in visits, Delphi’s parents tell Delphi is because the Laughlin boys were involved in the hit and run that left Delphi in a coma for weeks and the scars on her leg.

Even knowing this information, Delphi still wants to spend the summer with the Laughlin’s. Only now, Delphi has a purpose for wanting to visit. She hopes to learn the truth about who was behind the wheel of the car. Delphi develops feelings for Tam, the middle son. Though, she can’t fully give him her heart as he could be the one responsible. What will Delphi do when she learns the truth and will she be able to forgive?

I thought this book was a good one. Reasons is a quick read. The characters were engaging. I really got into the story. The location that this story took place in Statler, Colorado (a fictitious place) did not bug me, as I live in Colorado. The problem, I had was that I wanted to know more about this place and the splendid scenery that Colorado has to offer but that wasn’t really portrayed in the story. One thing that did bug me some was that it seemed only Delphi and Tam was willing to do anything to help Bobbie with his drinking problems. The rest of the family was aware but chose to ignore the issue. Reasons is the first book I have read by Tracy Fabre but is second novel that she has written. Hopefully, Ms. Fabre will have a long success, as she has done a good job with this book. I did think the ending was a good one.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A dead body in Newark, New Jersey isn’t very news worthy. Unless you are talking about the discovery of four dead bodies left in a vacant lot…now that is front page news.

Carter Ross is an investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle Examiner. When this story lands on Carter’s lap, he figures he will just write the story and be done. Once Carter starts digging, he realizes that there is something bigger then four dead bodies. Besides…what does an exotic dancer, a drug dealer, a hustler, and a momma’ boy all have in common? This is the million dollar question; Carter must find the answer too. Carter will be joined be a unique cast of characters that include…the gay Cuban side kick, the city editor, and the stripper

Faces of the Gone is Mr. Brad Parks’s debut novel. He is currently working on Eyes of the Innocent, the next Carter Ross novel.

I thought it was bold that Mr. Parks quit his job before getting a book contract. Luckily for him, it paid off as I enjoyed this book. It is going to be a best seller. You could tell Mr. Parks’s brought his knowledge and experience of journalism to the character, Carter. It helped make the story more realistic. I instantly fell for Carter and his big heart. He is a fighter of justice. The wide range of other characters helped keep the story interesting. Plus they were not one dimensional. You knew from the beginning why the people were killed but don’t let that fool you as there were some twists thrown in the mix. Can’t wait to check out Eye of the Innocent.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Ridley Richardson has met the most wonderful woman. Her name is Jayne Holly Wyatt. He feels something for her. Though, from the beginning you can tell this is more of a one sided romance.

Chet Clifford and Ridley are housemates. They get along as far as housemates go. That is all about to change. Chet has also met the most amazing woman. Yep, you guessed it! It is Jayne. Chet wants to impress her, so he asks his co-worker, Nathan for some help. Jayne is impressed with Chet. The battle is on between Ridley and Chet for Jayne’s heart. Who will win?

The layout of the book kind of read like a Broadway script. It was broken up into sections, with the beginning of each section setting up the scene. I thought this approach to telling the story was unique and refreshing. Unfortunately, it distracted me some and made the book not flow as smoothly as I would have liked. In addition that I found the characters did not fully draw me into their world. Aside from these facts, I did think this book was a pretty good read and I could see where Mr. Fox was going with this story.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Daphne Du Maurier read an article in the newspaper, The Times about an old abbey that is located on the Cornish coast. It dates all the way back to the Charlemagne era. Daphne loves rooting around and learning about the history of old places. She begs her parents to let her stay instead of going with them and trying to find a husband. Her parents agree on one condition…Daphne must stay with an old friend, Ewe Sinclaire.

While taking a morning walk, Daphne hears a woman scream. When she arrives at the feet of the young woman is a body. The woman who screamed is named Lianne. Lianne identifies the body as her brother’s fiancée, Victoria Bastion. Though Lianne is glad Victoria is dead, she would not wish it this way. When Daphne meets Lord David Hartley, she becomes intrigued by him. Lord Hartley invites Daphne to stay in the abbey. She can’t pass up the offer. While there, she gets to know the Hartley’s and Victoria. It seems that the Hartley’s have many secrets. Daphne decides to investigate the murder of Victoria.Daphne better watch her back or she could end up like Victoria.

I enjoyed Murder on the Cliffs. It had this old, classic feel to it that reminded me of my favorite mystery stories growing up. There was no glitz or hype. Just an old abbey and a family that had a closet full of dead bodies. Daphne was so sweet and naïve that I wasn’t sure at first if she was the right person to solve the murder. I read this book very quickly. It was memorizing. There were some twists. Enough to keep me from figuring the identity of the killer till the end. I do plan to check out more novels by this author.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Everyone’s favorite nanny is back. Nanny Nan and her husband, Ryan have returned to the Big Apple. They have a lot of work ahead of them with many renovations and many improvements to their home. Nan is hoping to get a job soon. Opportunity appears at her door in the form of her former charge…Grayer.

He is all grown up now. Grayer. Grayer dislikes Nan for leaving him and his brother. He believes she is just like all the rest of the prior nannies. But can Grayer forgive Nan when he learns the truth. Nan and Grayer will soon realize that they need each other.

For anyone who has not read The Nanny Diaries, I suggest you start with that book first before reading Nanny Returns or you will be a bit lost in the beginning. Plus, it will help you become more connected with the characters. As this is what happened to me. I did not read the first book and just jumped into this one. At first, I wasn’t sure about Nan. She seemed like a nice person but one that people take advantage of. I was wrong. The further I got into this book. I realized that Nan not only is strong and smart but that she is the back bone for why Grayer did turn out to be a good kid. Mrs. X seemed too much into herself for my taste. Fans of The Nanny Diaries I am pretty sure will be pleased with this latest book.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

United States Marshal Teddy Daniels lost his wife to a tragic apartment complex fire. The fire was arson. Andrew Laeddis, the man responsible for setting the fire was sent away. That isn’t good enough for Teddy. He hoped to get his revenge.

Teddy and his new partner, Chuck are assigned to check out the disappearance of Rachel Solando. She is a patient at the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane located on Shutter Island. Rachel is very dangerous. She drowned her three children and then propped their dead bodies up at the dinner table.

Teddy and Chuck find a note left behind, written by Rachel. It says:

The Law of 4

I am 47They were 80

+You are 3

We are 4ButWho is 67?

Teddy asks Dr. Cawley, if there is a sixty-seventh patient at the hospital. He assures Teddy that there isn’t. So then, why does Rachel believe there is and if so…where is patient sixty-seven?

Shutter Island is the first novel, I have read by Mr. Lehane but it is not the first movie, I have watched, several of Mr. Lehane’s novels that have been made into a movie like Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. I didn’t quite care for Mystic River and thought Gone Baby Gone was pretty good. So, you can imagine my reluctance to try reading a novel, though as we all know books are usually better then the movies. Well, the good news is that I absolutely enjoyed this book, so much that I had a hard time putting it down. I thought for sure I had it all figured out what was happening to Teddy. I was half right. The ending came as a surprise in a good way. Shutter Island gave me the shutters. I can’t wait to check out more novels by Mr. Lehane.

Mitchell has just spent three years in the slammer for a crime he claims he was not guilty for. Now that Mitchell has been released for good behavior, he plans to make the most of his second chance by turning his life around. Unfortunately, trying to better yourself is hard to do when your only ride are people from your past. Good buddy, Billy Norton is happy to see Mitchell. There is one problem...Billy works for a notorious loan shark by the name of Tommy Logan. Tommy wants Mitchell to work for him. That is the last thing Mitchell wants.

Luckily, Mitchell ends up landing a job as a handy man for one time famous actress, Lillian Palmer. From the first moment Mitchell lays eyes on Lillian, he is memorized by her beauty. Lillian is a recluse. She hides out a lot in her bedroom. Though, Mitchell works for Lillian, it is really Jordan, who calls the shots.

I really liked Mitchell. He was a bit of a softie but don’t tell him that. When it came to his sister, he is the perfect brother. When it came to Mitchell and Jordan squaring off, I thought they were evenly matched. I do have to give it up to Jordan for the spooky factor. He is one of those silent types, who you need to watch your back around or else. This book read fast. There were a few twists and a few slow points. Overall, a good read.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The citizens of New York City are not safe. For they have a serial killer on their hands. One that has no rhyme or reason as far as the police can identify. Locking your doors will do you no good. This killer has no remorse. The killer targets everyone from…women to little children. The media is calling the killer…The Daily Killer. Because you never know when your number will be called next.

Detective Deke Durgess is feeling the pressure from his boss to solve these murders quickly. Unfortunately, The Daily Killer has been smart and not tripped up once. As the body count piles up, Detective Durgess wonders if he will ever be able to stop the killer. The killer’s luck just may have run out as he makes his first mistake.

Andrew J. Cardieri has done a nice job with his first novel. Unlike, Las Vegas you’re your luck can run out; with Luck of the Draw, you can guarantee a good read. Mr. Cardieri brings a fast, pace momentum of adrenaline to the story line with a few twists and sharp turns, along the way. Detective Durgess is one sharp tack. I liked this about him. So many times, I read books where the detectives are that bright or they are smart but not very engaging. As much as I enjoyed this book, there was a few times where the intensity levels started to dip. I can’t wait to see what Mr. Cardieri comes out with next.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Jessica Villareal is a police officer. She enjoys her job, especially when she can help people. Though, she seems to be at a lost when it comes to her daughter, Nina. Jessica is at her wits end. She doesn’t know what to do. Issues between her and her daughter will have to wait. Jessica has a bigger situation on her hands. Someone spotted a little girl wandering. They chased after her, only to discover and she was not alone.

Ray, a war bet and his daughter, Melinda “Lindy” have been living off the lands for quite some time. They were happy…till the authorities got involved and separated them. Lindy is currently in the care of Jessica. Lindy and Jessica may be from different worlds but they will learn how much they need each other.

It seems that I am in the minority in regards to this book. Most of the reviews I have seen, people really enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same. While I thought the story line had a lot of substance and emotions, it was the characters that I found lacking to make any type of connection with me. Therefore, I couldn’t get into this book. I kind of found Jessica weak. She let her daughter dictate her as well as her boss. Towards the end, it seemed that Jessica was pulling it all together but it was too late for me. I can’t really comment too much on this book as When She Flew, she flew away from me.

Connelly lost the most precious thing to him…his daughter. Three weeks ago, she was murdered by a drifter. Since that point, Connelly has been following the trail of the vagrant. Connelly won’t give up till he has met his daughter’s murder face to face. He wants to personally kill him for what this man has taken from him.

Every town that Connelly stops at, the people there who know Connelly is looking for but they don’t know much about him other than people call him Mr. Shivers. Connelly learns that he isn’t the only one looking for Mr. Shivers. Connelly meets up with the other two men, Reverend Pike and Jakob Hammond. They also lost people dear to them. They men discover that there is more to Mr. Shivers then meets the eye.

Mr. Shivers is new author, Robert Jackson Bennett debut novel. I have had my eye on this book, ever since I first saw it a few months ago. It sounded dark and suspenseful. Unfortunately, this time the book looked and sounded better then it actually was. It started out alright. As the story started to pick up and I was introduced to Mr. Shivers, I found him menacing. The issues I had with this book were that none of the characters grabbed me as well as the story line did move slowly. I think of read this book in a daze. Mr. Bennett did show some promise. Hopefully his next book is better.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Many years ago in the land of Muraten, there lived a King and Queen. Queen Rhiana was desperate to know if she would have a baby. She wanted to ensure all would be well, so she went to visit a powerful seer by the name of Zella. Zella promises the Queen that she would give birth to a daughter. She tells the Queen that the best thing would be to marry her daughter off to their enemy of the Rugu tribe. Zella tricked the Queen and put a curse on the Murantens.

Present Day.

Thirteen year old, Kaela Neuleaf and her cousin Shawn were at home. Shawn had brought, Tiger, the cat in the house. Tiger wasn’t supposed to be in the house as Kaela’s father is allergic. Suddenly, Tiger takes off into Kaela’s father’s home office. Hidden in one of the drawers is an old diary. It belonged to Kaela’s mother. Kaela misses her.

Later in Kaela’s bedroom, Shawn and Kaela hear a knocking. It is coming from the closet. Inside the closet is a wizzen by the name of Netri. Netri tells Kaela that she is the chosen one. She must come with him through the hole in the sky to Murantenland. Netri says that King Arendore and Queen Skyla’s child has been kidnapped by Gulig, leader of the Rugus. Kaela must go to Murantenland and rescue the child. Join Kaela and Shawn as they have the adventure of their lives.

The Hole in the Sky is a really fun, exciting, fantastical novel of merriment. I liked Kaela and Shawn. They made a good duo. I liked how the story was set up between what transpired with Queen Rhiana and Zella. As soon as Kaela and Shawn went through the hole in the sky, I got sucked in as well. The illustrations through out this book were very nice. They helped tell the story. I do have to admit that I did get lost a bit. There were so many characters that I tried but couldn’t keep them straight. I only paid attention to the many characters and the secondary ones kind of got glossed over. Overall, this was the only issue I had with this book. I do hope to visit with Kaela, Shawn and the rest of the people of Murantenland again. Author, Barbara A. Mahler did a nice job with The Hole in the Sky.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Nine years ago, Kate Grayhawk Pendleton caught her husband with another woman. To get back at him she slept with a stranger. That was then and this is now. Kate’s husband is dead and she is the mother of two nine year old twin boys named, Lucky and Chance.

Kate is ready to start a new relationship with Texas Ranger, Jack McKinley. She has had a crush on him for a long time.

Wyatt Shaw is the son of D’Amaro, a notorious mob boss. To Wyatt’s surprise, he learns he is Lucky and Chance’s father. How far will Wyatt go to claim his sons?

Jack is waiting on his divorce with his wife, Holly to be final. Holly loves Jack and would do anything to keep him, even lie. She did it once before but is Holly willing to tell Jack a secret she has kept from him in order to save their son’s life?

Shattered is the first book I have read in the Bitter Creek series. I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It can be read as a stand alone novel. Though, I can assure you that if you hadn’t read the previous books that you will want to after finishing this one. My favorite character was Wyatt. He is a mobster’s son but that didn’t stop him from wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing vulnerability. Kate is sassy and full of spunk. It was interesting to see how all these characters lives intertwined with each other. Shattered left me waiting more.

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